Just a few days after the groundbreaking ceremony, the head of the trust which laid the foundation of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya has tested to be COVID-19 positive. The more concerning angle to this revelation is the fact that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had shared stage space with the chief during the rituals. Along with the PM, many VIPs were also present with the newly detected coronavirus patient.
On August 5th, Mahant Nritya Gopal Das, the chairman of the Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra Trust made for the construction of the much-awaited Ram temple, offered the prayers required at the groundbreaking ceremony with five other people in Ayodhya, UP.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Governor Anandiben Patel and Mohan Bhagwat, chief of the RashtriyaSwayamsevakSangh (RSS), the BJP’s ideological mentor were the other three present on the stage.
The District Magistrate of Mathura, Sarvagya Ram Mishra, informed the media about the stability in MrNritya’s health condition at the moment as he has been infected with the milder version of the virus which has helped in maintaining normality with slight difficulty in respiration. He said, “We were informed that Maharaj-ji has some fever, so we sent a team of doctors and they investigated and gave medicines. The fever is normal. He has mild breathlessness and we checked his oxygen level. It is saturated. There is nothing serious. We checked for coronavirus, did antigen test and there is positivity.”
Adding about the orders of the CM of Uttar Pradesh to get the head admitted to a hospital for further treatment, he said, “The Chief Minister has directed that Maharaj-ji be shifted to the Medanta Hospital and we are getting that done as soon as possible. Maharaj-ji is stable.”
Along with the Ram temple trust, MrNritya worked as the head of the Ram JanambhoomiNyas as well, taking the position since 2003. The latter is regulated by representatives of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) established primarily to build the Ram Temple. It functions in Ayodhya itself.
In a bid to mark the most vital sod-cutting ceremony to mark the beginning of the construction work of the temple, Prime Minister Modi offered the first brick, laying it down on the ground on August 5th. Fulfilling one of the major promises the BJP party had made during the elections, Mr Modi was welcomed in the city of Ayodhya after a gap of nearly 29 years for partaking in the “BhoomiPujan”.
The assistant of the ram temple head priest, Pradeep Das, and 14 other policemen placed on duty in the works ahead of the groundbreaking ceremony were found to be COVID-19 positive only days before the ringing bells for the ceremony. It has raised questions about the health of others who had participated in the work along with these patients.
